Becoming a Fully-Realized Human Being

“At a brisk pace, research findings focused on children’s play are finally reaching the light of day in popular media,” writes Karen Stephens in an article that anchors an Out of the Box Training Kit, “Sparking Imagination.” “No longer left sitting in archives of academic journals, the benefits of play to lifelong success have been touted in radio, television, magazines and newspapers. It gives early childhood professionals a powerful, credible advocacy tool to use with parents, and community leaders as we strive to put children’s play back into the heart of early childhood curriculum.

In a Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool: Presenting the Evidence, (Hirsh-Pasek et al.)a review of research confirms that children’s self-initiated play nurtures overall development, not just cognitive development (such as learning to name colors, numbers, or shapes). In fact, research builds a very strong case that childhood play is a required experience in order to become a civilized, fully-realized human being.”

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